Valles Marineris, from the Viking orbiter of 1976. Viewing of this image in high resolution is recommended
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Image from: NASA/JPL
The Exploration of Mars
Russia and the United States have been sending spacecraft to Mars since 1960! Some of the coolest missions were Mariner 4, 6, 7, & 9, Mars 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6, the Viking missions, and the Mars Global Surveyor mission.
You may remember the Mars Pathfinder lander and rover that landed on Mars in 1997. The rover bumped into rocks named Scooby Doo, Shark, Pooh Bear and Chimp!
In April 2001, the 2001 Mars Odyssey was
launched. It got to Mars in October 2001. The European Space Agency sent the Mars
Express mission to the Red Planet. It reached Mars on Christmas day in
2003. Mars
Express also had a small lander called the Beagle
2. NASA launched two Mars
Exploration Rovers in June and July of 2003.
They have been driving around on Mars since January 2004. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is another satellite that is mapping Mars from orbit. It was launched in August 2005 and made it to Mars in March 2006.
The Phoenix Mars Lander was launched in August 2007. It will land near the North Pole of Mars in May 2008. Phoenix will use a robotic arm to dig up samples of Martian soil. Scientists hope Phoenix will find water ice just below the surface.
What about the future? NASA is sending another, bigger rover to Mars in 2009. It is called the Mars Science Laboratory. Some day we may send airplanes or balloons to roam the Martian skies. We might send a drilling rig to search for water and maybe signs of life underground. Scientists also hope a there will be sample return mission some day. It would bring Mars rocks back to our planet so scientists could study them in laboratories on Earth.
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
Learn about Earth and space science, and have fun while doing it! The
games section of our
online store includes a
climate change card game and the
Traveling Nitrogen game!
You might also be interested in:
The Viking I and Viking 2 missions were to both orbit Mars and land on the planet's surface. There were two spacecraft for each mission. At this stage in the history of the exploration of Mars, scientists
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People were really excited when Pathfinder landed on Mars on July 4, 1997. The Mars Pathfinder mission (MPF for short!) was sent to Mars to look at the rocks and soil of Mars. The MPF was actually 2 parts,
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The Mars Odyssey was launched April 7, 2001. After a six-month journey, the Odyssey arrived at Mars on October 24, 2001. The instruments onboard the Mars Odyssey will study the minerals on the surface
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The European Space Agency (ESA) launched a mission to Mars in June of 2003. The mission is called "Mars Express". The Mars Express spacecraft has two parts. One part will orbit Mars for at least one Martian
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The European Space Agency (ESA) launched a mission to Mars in June of 2003. The mission is called "Mars Express". The Mars Express spacecraft has two parts. One part will orbit Mars for at least one Martian
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NASA has a new spaceship on Mars. The robot is called the Phoenix Mars Lander. Phoenix landed near the North Pole on Mars. This page tells about the mission of Phoenix. It also describes the instruments
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The Mars 2005 mission is still in the planning stages. It is set to launch in the year 2005.
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